1. Field of the Invention
The invention is in the field of underwater recreation and more particularly swim fins. The device of the present invention provides an improved swim fin retaining mechanism that allows the user to attach the swim fin to his foot with a one step maneuver. The retaining mechanism has a locking latch assembly that secures the back strap of the fin to the user's foot. It also allows for a one step release of the fin by pushing down on the locking latch.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art does contain retaining mechanisms for attaching the swim fin to the user's foot, but none of them allow the foot and the back of the heel to be retained with one movement of the locking mechanism. See. for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,940,815 to Hill and U.S. Pat. No. 2,779,077 to Kline.
The swim fin retainer of the present invention represents an improvement on existing fin strap systems because the fins can be put on without using one's hands. On existing fins the strap that holds the swimmer's heel has to be stretched and placed behind the heel by hand. This may cause the person to lose his balance while attempting to put on the fins. A swimmer loaded down with SCUBA equipment on his back may find it especially hard to put on his fins using these mechanisms.